Take a break from your own deadlines and ringing phones and get an eyeful of someone else's on an Austin Studio Tour. You'll get a guided tour of six local studios (seven, really, since Graphic Granola and Creative Suitcase are two separate studios in one locale) and see how each firm works, from lobby to lunchroom. You might just get the urge to redecorate your own space. 

The tour takes place in the morning and is repeated in the afternoon; a $150 fee applies. Spots are available on a first-come, first-served basis and it usually goes quickly—sign up for a Studio Tour today!

Ranch Road Design & Printing, Inc.
ranchroad.com
A marketing communications and digital printing company in East Austin, Ranch Road’s clients include 3M, the University of Texas, Time Warner and Charles Schwab. The large office space features two design rooms, complete with six designers.

Graphic Granola/Creative Suitcase
graphicgranola.com
creativesuitcase.com
Two studios in one space, Graphic Granola and Creative Suitcase share an historic 1938 house with tall ceilings, large windows and a big front porch for brainstorming. Graphic Granola specializes in identity development and branding for clients such as Green Home Zone and the Texas Medical Association. Creative Suitcase is a full-service design studio with a focus on travel; clients include Austin Children’s Museum and the Memphis Music Foundation.

fd2s
fd2s.com
Fd2s specializes in environmental graphic design and integrated wayfinding for clients like the Duke University Medical Center, Texas Children’s Hospital and Brazil’s Parque D. Pedro. The studio is located in a former oil storage warehouse in East Austin. Its restoration won the space recognition from Texas Architect and from the Heritage Society of Austin.

frog design
frogdesign.com
Frog design’s 118 Austin employees work on three floors of an old Victorian storefront located in downtown Austin, with the creative team located on the top floor. The international firm provides multi-disciplinary design, but the Austin office tends to take on large mobile, digital and convergent projects. Clients include Virgin Mobile, Epson and Yahoo.

Olive, Interactive Design & Marketing
olivedesign.com
Olive specializes in interactive design, online branding and web strategy for a client list that includes Hewlett-Packard, 3M and the Austin Fine Arts Festival. The office is located in the heart of downtown and features high ceilings, hardwood floors and a large patio where you might just interrupt a heated game of ping pong.

Milkshake
hellomilkshake.com
Milkshake is located in Austin's historic Hyde Park neighborhood, in a studio self-described as "chaos chic, with a touch of taxidermy." The agency specializes in brand development, working with clients such as Chanel, Dell and the Lance Armstrong Foundation.